A24 has acquired the rights to ‘Friendship’, a comedy starring Tim Robinson, known for ‘I Think You Should Leave’, and Paul Rudd. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival as part of the Midnight Madness program.
Andrew DeYoung wrote and directed “Friendship” in his feature film debut. Set in the cringe comedy of “I Think You Should Leave,” Robinson plays a suburban father who obsessively pursues a bond with his charming neighbor (Rudd). Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, Josh Segarra and Billy Bryk also appear in the film.
“Friendship” is Robinson’s first leading role in a film. Rudd is known for comedies such as “Anchorman,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Clueless” and “I Love You, Man.” DeYoung directed episodes of “The Other Two,” “Pen15,” “High Fidelity,” and “Our Flag Means Death.”
Daily beast critic Nick Schager called “Friendship” the “funniest movie of the year,” adding that “what really takes Robinson’s first cinematic outing to the next level […] is the recognition that its eccentrics are, at heart, not just innocent idiots, but out-of-control psychopaths.”
Nick Weidenfeld, Raphael Margules, JD Lifshitz and John Holland were producers of ‘Friendship’. Executive producers were Paul Rudd, Tracy Rosenblum, Alexis Garcia and DeYoung. WME Independent and UTA, along with Fifth Season, represent domestic sales for the title.
Elsewhere on the festival circuit, A24 has acquired “The Brutalist,” a historical epic directed by Brady Corbet and starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, for U.S. distribution, as well as Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer,” a romantic drama starring Daniel Craig and Drew. Starkey.
DeYoung is represented by Dan McManus and Rise Management.
